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1500 Sausages of Germany

There are many reasons why I love living in Germany. The beer is good, the incredible cakes are the most delicious I have ever tasted, there is a decadent variety of chocolate, cheese and yogurt available, being so wonderfully central it’s a stone’s throw away from France, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Norway, Denmark, making the long vacations people have here (I have 30 days plus all the bank holidays) a real pleasure. But what I really, really love about living in Germany is the sheer abundance of the many different types of sausages one gets here.

Germany boasts of over 1500 different varieties, many of them famous around the world. While I have not actually tried them all myself, as some of the sausages are for acquired taste buds, I do have my favorites.

After living here for a little over 17 years, one of the things I truly enjoy is indulging in a meal that includes one of my few favorite sausages.

Germans eat about 67 lbs of meat and sausage products per person per year. That is a lot of sausage! While in our household we do not consume as much, in the Spring/Summer months we do spend many weekends barbecuing a lot of sausages.

Sausages have been made in Germany for centuries, each generation passing their secret tips and methods down to the next. There are several regional specialties, offered not only in the specific regions but also nationwide and in many cases worldwide. Regional specialties like the famous “Thüringian Bratwurst”, “Münchener Weisswurst”, “Frankfurter” or “Nürnberger Bratwürstchen” all have been developed using specific sausage-making methods over the years, each producer adding his/her touch, offering a culinary fanatic a true indulgence like nothing ever experienced before. One can even take a German sausage tour visiting the cities where the world famous sausages are made

Depending on how they are made, sausages in Germany are called Brühwurst (scalded sausage), Kochwurst (cooked sausage) and Rohwurst (fresh/raw sausage).

The most common types of sausages in Central Europe are the Brühwurst with almost 800 different varieties. In Germany the most famous of these scalded sausage variety are the so called “Würstchen”. Your typical convenience food, which can be eaten anywhere, hot or cold, as a snack in between meals or served with sides of vegetables, salad and potatoes, they also make great main meals.

Imagine Munich’s Oktoberfest without the acclaimed Weisswurst? Debauchery! I hear the Bavarians shout! Weisswurst, which contains lots of fresh parsley, is eaten before noon, when the butchers offer them fresh. Served with lots of sweet mustard, fresh pretzels and of course real Bavarian beer, Weisswurst has become somewhat of a legend!

Weimar lies in Thuringia, a green and beautiful state and the home to my absolute favorite German sausage – the Thüringer Rostbratwurst or Thuringian grilled sausage. Thuringia’s sausage-making techniques has evolved through the centuries into a genuine culinary art. The variety of different steamed, scalded, and cured sausages one can buy here is truly impressive.

The Thüringer Rostbratwurst however is the most famous not only in Germany but also around the world. It goes back to ancient traditions, where some sources date the oldest recipe found back to 1404. The Rostbratwurst is made mainly of pork from either the belly or the shoulder and usually veal or beef is also added to the finely chopped mixture. This is seasoned with a delicious blend of spices and herbs, like garlic, cumin, coriander and marjoram and then packed into hog or sheep casings. The Rostbratwurst is sold fresh at supermarkets and butchers either scalded or raw. The production process of what seems to be simple food is actually quite complex and involved.

Fanatics and connoisseurs often have several tricks when it comes to barbecuing the Rostbratwurst. Everything ranging from basting the sausages in beer or greasing the grill with pork belly fat to soaking in water, is all common practice. Despite the myriad methods to grill these sausages, the most authentic way to eat it is in a fresh white bread roll with a slathering of hot mustard.

During market days I will often head over to the marketplace, in Weimar’s pedestrian area, just a little before lunchtime. Once my bags are packed with fresh fruit, vegetables and flowers I usually make my way to the Bratwurst man, who sells the most amazing bratwurst from his little bratwurst stand, fresh off a hot charcoal grill. I almost always have to stand in line and while I pay his wife the money and take my bread roll, the Bratwurst man is busy grilling several of the rostbratwurst lined and stacked side by side.

Summer evenings are often spent in the company of friends, neighbors and family, in the back yard. The barbecue is lit and as the beers are poured, the unmistakable aroma of the bratwurst fills the air. It truly is my favorite way to enjoy a good barbecue.

When Jeanne was here in July one of the things I made her take back was a vacuumed box packed full of bratwurst. Along with a jar of traditional sauerkraut, I knew Nick, her husband, would be a happy man!

Well this month Jeanne is hosting a grand braai/bbq event, Braai, the Beloved Country and asked us all to share our favorite recipes. South Africa certainly is a great country known for it’s braai culture, and as Germany is known for its sausage culture, I thought we’d make a pretty good pair at the the event. So my beloved sister-from-another mother – I am bringing you a few of these delectable bratwürste. Hope you have room for them on your barbecue!

If bratwurst is not your type of sausage then maybe you’d like a hamburger?

Soeren ponders if they come from Hamburg! Well maybe we can research that in another post.

In the meantime I have several other great ideas for you to serve at your BBQ:

aaaah, yes, the sausages of Germany :o) I love bratwurst cooked on the grill on a roll with susser senf - reminds me of our fab visit to Dresden and of trips to the Munich oktoberfest. With my country's braai culture and your country's sausages, we make a winning team, baby! Thanks for taking part in Braai the Beloved Country & hope you have a bratwurst tomorrow to celebrate Braai Day :)

It wasn't until I visited Munich in December last year that I realised quite how delicious these are. Eaten in the crisp night air, in bread, covered by a whisp of a napkin (the streets are so clean) and slathered with mustard - with a mug of Gluwein at the next stand. Bliss.

My favorite is a Thueringer. Unfortunately it is hard, even in Germany, to find a really good one. They are just the best tasting fresh of the grill. Oh, how I would love to eat one for dinner tonight. Koestlich.Oh, und dazu ein gutes Radler!

Oh yes, I do love the sausages. I'm actually planing on making some Käsewürste mit brötchen for dinner tonight - quick, easy, delicious! I'm going to have to stock up on German mustard before my return to the States, it's so great.

And that little boy of yours is one smart cookie! Hamburgers are indeed from Hamburg :)

I like a woman who is not afraid to wax lyrical about sausages. We were in Austria (which I know is not Germany but is the closest I've been to Germany) last Christmas and one of the highlights was a Konditorei that sold the most fabulous cakes, and the most fabulous sausages. It made for a lovely well balanced meal. Hee hee.

Being a vegetarian is hard thing when you are in Germany. 8 years ago we were in Berlin for a week and I was hungry all the time. My friends were mad about eisbein and beer but in the traditional eisbein restaurants there was nothing for me except a really tiny salad and I always had to specify "ohne fleisch". But I had really good desserts there, nom nom.

This morning I had a quick look to the post from work, but now I'm indulging into it, and the first word that occurrs to my mind is: hunger!Luckly it's almost dinner time!Tempting!Next year my sis will come to Germany for a semester at Uni, can't wait to visit her as much as I can!!

O wow! I did know that Germany is famous for it's sausages (we do make sure we eat them whenever in the area!) but I never would have guessed there were as many as that! We do have a few here in Holland, although I can't possibly imagine we would have more then.. 100? (and even that I wouldn't know which ones!!)

Ooooohhhhh yum! One day I will travel to Germany and try all the different kinds of sausage. I will put on 20 pounds and not give a rat's patootie about it. I wish I even knew a fraction of the different kinds, but I appreciate the lesson! Now at least I know why there are so many kinds!

I am from Germany and living in Kansas City now. You mentioned all the good stuff I miss so much: chocolate, yogurt, cake... But the most missed: a nice Vollkornbrot mit Kaese. Und natuerlich eine ordentliche Bratwurst mit Senf.Did you tried Bautz'ner Senf? My aunt used to bring some all the time when she had been visiting my parents.Great pictures!Have a nice weekendEva

I love sausages but hey have to be good ones and the ones that you have photographed look TOP GRADE. We have great sausages over here in the UK but i think you take the lead over there in Germany. They look so delicious. I am so hungry right now. Oh No. No sausages in my fridge for breakfast. :(

you, my darling, need to head south and taste the sausages of switzerland !! a quick comparison to the famous wursts of züri - for research purposes of course ! ;)

we go often to our favorite wurst stand here, a simple choice between the st galler bratwurst or the servelat, we grab a huge bread roll, super hard crust, soft on the inside... olivier takes the horseradish mustard and i certainly do not. and voilà, we're set ! here, check it out: http://mykugelhopf.ch/2009/06/the-best-of-the-wurst/

can't wait to head north myself and do the same research... ! great post meeta !! brings back memories of my trip to munich years back, when i tasted the famous weisswurst too ! oh love those brezels...

Oh, Meeta, what memories you have brought back for us. My husband was born in Augsburg; we met in Frankfurt, and lived in the Saarland as well. We enjoyed rotwurst, which we cannot find here in the US, as well as weisswurst - and our favorite of ALL kind was the small (finger-sized) weisswurst we had at a little festival in the hills southeast of Munich. Here we are still lucky, though - we have a German market just a block away from my office - where I can get several different kinds of bratwurst and weisswurst, along with lots of other German meats, groceries, and beer. I wish we could get the rotwurst - it was my favorite with curry ketchup!

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...